How does a mark affect a card's grade?

[wdwfan]

I'm just now getting into graded vintage, and my LCS has a 1955 Topps Kaline that looks awesome. In fact, I asked them to take it out of the case so I could get a look at it. I was hoping to buy it with intent to grade. However, upon inspection, it's got the letter "Y" written on the front in ink. The card overall would probably grade a 6 if not for that mark.

So how does a mark affect the grade? Will it knock all the way down to like a 1-2 even though the rest of the card looks good? Will it only knock it down a point or 2? If it gets, say, a 6 grade but with an MK designation, does that mean it's really a 4? Just trying to figure out of I want to buy the card and sub it. It's really, really sharp. So just curious.

[JollyElm]

228. Twoplicity
The suppositional rule of thumb that a card with a qualifier should have a monetary/trade value equal to a straight graded card two whole numbers lower.


• The supposed two point drop in grade for a qualifier emanated from the PSA Registry, where a PSA 6 MK would only count as a PSA 4. It's become a rule of thumb, but many of us don't ascribe to that particular theory, and put more consideration into the overall eye appeal (i.e., is the off-centering minor, or is the mark not too blatant?) to determine its value.

• With PSA it is pretty straight forward. If they say a card deserves a grade of X and it has a mark, the result will be a PSA X MK. With other TPGs, it is not so easy to pinpoint what a mark will do to the number grade, or how low it will drive it.

• On a side note (and it's nothing personal, as I'm talking about each and every collector), no one is ever right about the grade they say a card will get, so if you're thinking the 1955 Topps Kaline should be a 6 (sans mark), you should definitely act like it will come back a 4 or 5 to protect yourself, and make an offer to the owner accordingly.

Good luck!!

[swarmee]

The mark type also matters. If it is in pencil or ball point pen and that caused a ridge to form on the cardboard, consider the highest grade it would get to be a VG-EX 4(MK). If it's in Sharpie or Marker and did not damage the surface, then it would get higher based on the look of the card without the mark.

[UKCardGuy]

I can offer a recent example from my own experience.

I sent a 1960T Maris to SGC. It had writing on the back where a previous owner wrote their initials in pen. I thought it was a 6 if not for the mark. SGC knocked it down to a 2.

I recently sold it. You can see the listing here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276378146537

[swarmee]

SGC, without qualifiers, will normally drop any card with writing or even miscut down to the 1.5-2 area, so that's what I would have expected if I tried SGC.

[Lucas00]

Here is my 48 Bowman Red Schoendienst. Looks superb but has a small pen strike on the back. I would say it lost 2-3 grades because of it.